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Sad news for people who love their hot dog/lemonade combo: Hot Dog on a Stick has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Carlsbad-based mall chain, which has 93 locations across the western U.S., filed today, claiming that many of the chain's locations were opened during the real estate bubble of the mid-2000s, NBC reports. The chain's CEO, Dan Smith, said in a press release that "declining mall traffic" was another component in their downfall.
But fear not, corn dog fans: Chapter 11 is only the reorganizing wing of the bankruptcy spectrum; it allows the company to get back on its feet and pay off its debts. Part of that process will be trying to get the rent lowered on at least half of their locations, UT San Diego reports.
Indeed, Smith said in the release:
"The Hot Dog on a Stick brand has been strong and iconic for many years. Our initiatives, coupled with the cooperation of our partners, will allow us to emerge from these bankruptcy proceedings in a position to thrive well into the future."
Smith hopes to be out of the bankruptcy woods by this summer.
The chain got its start in 1946 at Santa Monica Beach. It was originally called "Party Puffs." We hope that Hot Dog on a Stick, which has been such an important California institution, will continue to exist, if only to keep those uniforms part of our landscape.
